Post written by Sherri Kruger
As you know this Monday I started back to work full time. I’m not going to lie the first day was incredibly tough for me. I was so sad leaving my kids in the morning, all throughout the day I found myself wondering what they were doing, if they were okay and if they were having fun. Logically I knew they were fine and were having a blast because of who they were with but it was still so incredibly tough.
For the first time in 4 years I had to get up at a specific time, get myself ready to go to work, feed and dress the kids and get out the door so I could be at work on time. I was a little scared as to how it would all go but it actually went rather smoothly.
There are two reasons getting out the door on time was such a breeze.
1. We get ready the night before. I’m sure you’ve heard this before and might even think yeah yeah …. but this is the single biggest factor to getting out the door on time. My husband and I prepare as much as we can the night before. We make lunches, pack bags, lay out clothes, think of breakfast and dinner for the next day, and make sure our bag/purse is ready to go.
The more we can accomplish the night before the less we have to do and think about in the morning (when, let’s face it, we’re not entirely operating at 100% yet).
2. We tag off in the morning. This may be a bit too much detail but as soon as we wake up I make the bed then hop in the shower while my husband feeds the dogs and makes tea. When I’m done he hops in the shower and I get our breakfasts in order. By this time the kids are up so I get them changed and give them breakfast. The last couple of mornings, after my husband left for work I had a few minutes to spare. I read my kids a story, sang songs it was awesome.
A few other habits I’ve gotten into that have helped make the transition to working full time a good one are:
* meal planning – This is a biggie. I get home around 5pm and the kids are hungry so to think of something to eat, make it and serve it before they completely freak out wouldn’t work.
* exercising after the kids are in bed – This is a great opportunity to get some “me time”, unwind and work out a bit of stress and anxiety. The benefit for me with working out later in the evening is I sleep like a rock.
* nightly reset – After the kids are in bed we quickly return toys to the toy boxes, put lingering dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down the counters and make sure everything is ready to go in the morning. It makes getting up, getting breakfasts and the place cleaned up again so much easier.
* being in the present moment – since I’m not with my kids all day I see the time I do have with them as extra precious. Nothing else really matters when I get home except my kids. We talk about their day, we read, we play and we putter in the yard. Already I find I’m much more patient, caring, compassionate and empathetic towards them.
I know this is just the beginning of a long journey, but I’m already optimistic that this is going to work and we’re going to thrive as a family.
Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to stay on top of things to help keep this transition going smoothly?
Best wishes for a smooth transition Sherri! <3 I know you will all thrive.
When I got home from work today this really made me giggle – I do pretty much the same as you try to be prepared as possible although I get up at 5.30am to exercise. However, this morning just didn’t go smoothly. Five minutes before I left for some odd reason I was covered head to toe in talcum powder holding a vacuum cleaner that had just decided to burn out, then my son decided he need to poo! Sometimes all the preparation in the world cannot help deal with the unexpected!
I work outside the home 2 days a week (sometimes a struggle to leave my son but always rewarding when I am there) and 2 days a month as a family we get paid to carry out respite care for a teenager who is autistic – he is now a family friend as well as a more creative and fun way of paying our bills (hope this does not sound callous it is not meant to be – it has been a very rewarding and fun experience for the entire family!)
I hope your return to work continues to be smooth and rewarding (financially, mentally etc).
Great tips on staying organized in a two-working-parents household! One thing that works for me when I need to get out the door at a specific time to meet a client is to build in more time than I need.
My kids are older (13 and 10), and you’d think that it would be a breeze for us to all do what we need to do because they do so much for themselves. But I never know when one of them will tell me that they forgot to do the last 5 math problems or they are hysterical about their hair and need a few minutes to calm down (these have both happened in the last month!)
Teens and tweens feel stress in their lives and I really do what I can not to add to it.
I can’t stand to bark at them like, “You’ve got two minutes! Two minutes, let’s go let’s go let’s go” so I build in more time than I think I need so I can deal with those unexpected snafus!
I hope your transition back to work just gets more and more smooth!
These are all great suggestions – for families with two working parents and one working parent. When staying home, it seems all these tasks are delegated to the homemaker, and one is doing it alone, and since you have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD – it seems to drag out all day, and you seem to be cleaning/caring/not being present all day.
I’m sure this sight was shown to me for a reason. I’ll have to be taking the zen for awhile before giving it. Honestly, when I was reading the part about delineating the tasks first thing in the morning, I went immediately to who was doing what, assuming I would have the female role, and without even digesting it, assumed I wanted to switch — to the male role. Comparing and who has it easier is my tip of the day of what not to do.
Thanks for the post.
Hi Sherri
I find that no matter what we are doing, throughout the varied seasons of our life, it is important to always keep the ‘why’ firmly entrenched in our heart and our mind. That way our internal compass will guide us and enable us to enjoy every part of the detour, dead end, zig-zag or whatever life throws at us along the way.
It has been my experience that some of my greatest discoveries have occurred when I have found myself going somewhere else – and it always brings me back to an understanding that nothing is ever wasted.
There are so many lessons to be learnt – and as a blogger – great stories to be drawn from all our new experiences that we can share with others to teach the lesson.